


Convincing Edward

by WhisperingSkies



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Arkham (Video Games), Batman: Arkham - All Media Types
Genre: Appealing to ego, Arkham City happened, Canon: Batman: Arkham City (Video Game), Canon: Batman: Arkham Knight (Video Game), Eddie & Jon's Meeting, Eddie is a smartass, Gen, Pre-Batman: Arkham Knight, Pre-Canon, Riddler-centric, Sarcasm, Scarecrow's Meeting, Scarecrow's face is messed up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:35:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23636920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhisperingSkies/pseuds/WhisperingSkies
Summary: Scarecrow invites Nygma to a very important meeting. He attends.(Pre-Arkham Knight)
Relationships: Jonathan Crane & Edward Nygma
Kudos: 13





	Convincing Edward

Fittingly, as Edward stepped outside his hideout, it began to rain. He always had found it funny how even the weather in Gotham had a flair for the dramatic, but was less amused when it required him to traverse half the city in a downpour. Where was Oswald and his obnoxious umbrellas when you needed him? 

Still, Crane had promised this would be of the utmost interest to him, hinting vaguely (and rather clumsily) at the Batman’s involvement. Too often did the other rogues underestimate his abilities, but never Jonathan. Jon did his best to include Ed in plans and schemes he thought the man would deem worthy of his time; sure, they both ended up back in Arkham more often than not, but Edward’s brilliance got them out time and time again. A favor for a favor. 

Ever since the Arkham Asylum incident, though, things had changed. No-one had contact with Crane after the mauling from Killer Croc-- well, no-one except Nygma himself, but even then, never in person. 

Ed pulled his jacket a bit tighter around himself, attempting to keep his clothing from the rainfall. He needed to look his best, after all, to intimidate whomever else might be there. A sneaking suspicion told him this was bigger than anything they’d done before, and he expected a few familiar faces to show up. He mused as he walked, deciding who’d be present. Croc was out for sure, obviously, same with Jervis and his gang- if this was serious, Crane wouldn’t want the buffoonery of the Wonderlands getting in his way. Harley would be present since she controlled parts of Joker’s empire, and Ivy never let her stray too far, so she’d be there as well. Selina was… unlikely, to say the least. Nobody could trust her after all the times she’d chosen the Bat. Harvey was another contender on the board, simply because of his financial influence, which dragged Oswald into the fray as well, since the Penguin could not stand to be beaten at anything. 

He considered a number of other names, not wasting time on the majority, since Crane wasn’t likely to involve such minor threats. He hesitated on Firefly and Freeze, weighing their pros and cons for a few moments longer than the rest, finally settling on ‘possible.’ Elemental power of such a volatile nature was something that could either come in handy or derail an entire operation-- he knew from experience. 

The trip was uneventful, as to be expected. He had kept his nose clean enough that there should be no reason for the Bat to want to break his arm. Tonight, he was simply a citizen out for a walk. Well, a walk that would presumably end in a meeting between some of the most dangerous people in Gotham, but a walk nonetheless. 

An address previously provided by Crane had led Edward to a rusty back-door in a not-so-great section of Gotham. The thought alone implying that there were great sections of Gotham made him chuckle as he scanned the alleyway for anything suspicious before trying the knob. It opened to a hallway, unsurprisingly dark and fittingly dingy, causing Ed to sigh as he straightened his tie before entering. Although thrilled to be out of the rain, it wasn’t exactly a welcoming place; he wandered a few dismal halls before reaching a wider room. 

Scarecrow was seated at the lone table, back to the entranceway. Not a soul was to be seen in the rest of the room. 

“Am I early, or did the rest of the party skip town?” 

The sitting form didn’t move, seemingly unamused. Tension filled the space rapidly as a silence settled. 

He took two steps forwards, and with no adverse reactions from Scarecrow, he continued on, reaching the table and seating himself across from the former doctor. Edward could feel his nerves beginning to spike despite his best efforts to remain calm; he knew there was no true danger, but Jon didn’t often act this way.

Without warning, Crane looked up, his face clear and uncovered in the sparse light. 

Edward couldn’t help it- he gasped, covering his mouth with his hand, not wanting to look away yet desperately wishing to. His friend’s former visage was scarred beyond recognition, resembling his prior mask more than a face. Threads connected loose flaps of skin to other sections still attached; after a moment, Ed realized his jaw was being held up by the same threads. His eyes were milky, skin hallowed and grey, nose missing entirely. 

Crane smiled, or at least attempted to- it was hard to tell. 

“Don’t look so surprised, Edward. You heard about the… accident, I assume.” 

Ed nodded, not trusting himself to speak without betraying how unsettled he had become. He’d seen plenty of awful things; hell, memories of Arkham City still kept him awake at night, but none of that compared to this, the former face of a friend reduced to a surgeon’s scraps. 

“No matter. It’s done now. There are other things to discuss.” Jon’s previously smooth voice was hoarser, more cracked- it almost sounded painful when he spoke. Edward swallowed hard, his own throat dry at the thought, and begged himself to get a grip. He couldn’t stand to seem even a bit off-kilter once the others arrived. They never took him as seriously as they should, and he didn’t want to add ‘threw up over Scarecrow’s plastic surgery’ to the list of general embarrassments surrounding his reputation these days. He was the Riddler, and he deserved nothing but respect for his brilliance.

Forcing himself to remain professional, he offered a sympathetic smile and cleared his throat, straightening in the uncomfortable metal chair. “Yes, you had mentioned a new plan. I would be happy to provide critiques--” 

Scarecrow lifted a gloved hand to silence him. Shockingly, it was absent of his usual hardware, needles and the like, for which Ed was grateful. 

“Edward, I will be honest with you. As much as your genius has helped us succeed in the past working together, I am here to ask a favor of you. You are an irreplaceable part of the bigger picture.” He paused, studying Ed’s face with eyes that held no light. “I have come to you first. If I cannot persuade you to play your part, there will be no plan at all.”

Inside, Ed’s ego swelled. Jon came to him first. Not Harley, not Oswald, not Dent. Him. Edward Nygma, ‘irreplaceable’. Well, he’d always known that, but it was nice to see someone else taking notice for once. 

Trying to conceal his pleasure, Edward eyed Crane with as much false scrutiny as he could produce. “Sweet talk, Jon? I thought we moved past flattery years ago.” He chuckled softly, met with what seemed like a pained smile from his friend. Another uncomfortable silence began to descend over the pair until Ed spoke again.

“What exactly are you asking me to do?” 

This seemed to ignite something in Scarecrow, the remnants of that casual smile turning wicked and thoughtful. 

“Why, what you’re best at, Riddler. Defeat the Batman.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! I'm working on more Arkham-verse & rogues content so stay tuned! :)


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